Filigree inlay, one of the eight traditional arts and crafts of Beijing, includes complex techniques. In 2008, the state council of China officially designated filigree inlay art as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of China.
Yao Yingchun, a representative (skill) inheritor has devoted himself to this traditional art since he was 17. For the past 50 years, he has spent most of his time on the craft. Yao still works full time in a filigree museum teaching new artists and young apprentices. It takes decades to train a craftsman and Yao currently has more than 30 apprentices.
Some of their work is illustrated here:
At an exhibition opened in Paris on March. 5, exquisite filigree inlay work by Yao and his colleagues was featured. A masterpiece of filigree inlay, a ruyi, or ceremonial scepter, took about 3 months to produce and is a feature of the exhibition.
